Infant&#39;s play enclosure



g- 1967 M. WEISMAN ETAL 3,336,607 4 INFANT'S PLAY ENCLOSURE Filed Oct. 18, 1965 INVENTORS Mary L, Wells/nan Lawrence R Weisman A TTORA/Em United States Patent 3,336,607 HNFANTS PLAY ENCLOSURE Mary L. Weisman and Lawrence P. Weisman, both of 347 Witmepoge Drive, Fairfield, Conn. 06430 Filed Oct. 18, 1965, Ser. No. 497,136 7 Claims. (Cl. -99) This invention relates generally to an infants play enclosure, and more particularly to improvements in collapsible and portable play enclosures for infants in the pre-toddler age.

Presently available childrens portable play pens are, for the most part, relatively heavy and bulky structures, usually embodying a Hat bottom and wooden slat-type sides presenting a cagelike construction, or fabric lattice or fish-net sides with an upwardly spaced supporting frame. Although these devices are usually made collapsible, they are nevertheless unwieldy and cumbersome to collapse and transport. Also, they are relatively heavy because of both the nature of the material from which they are made and the amount of construction required to render them collapsible and sturdy enough to withstand the wear and tear imposed thereon by a child which generally extends all through the crawling stage of the infant and well into the standing and early walking stage of the toddler.

While these devices are generally well suited to the purpose for which they are intended, even with the above drawbacks, they suffer other disadvantages in that they usually rest low on the floor and are entirely open to expose the child to cold air and drafts. Furthermore, the open slatlike construction of the typical play pen permits toys and other objects of interest to a child to move out of his reach by rolling beyond the childs grasp or by falling from the play pen to the floor, in either event requiring the attention of another person to replace them.

The foregoing drawbacks and disadvantages of presently known play enclosures render them quite unsatisfactory for the purposes and functions of the present invention; they are generally confined to use in and around the home, usually being set up in one location in the house and maintained in that location for long periods of time. Occasionally they may be taken outside and set up on a patio or porch, but this is generally an inconvenient procedure, and because of the nature of their construction, they cannot be exposed to undesirable weather conditions and there- 7 fore must be brought indoors at nightfall.

The present invention is directed to a limited purpose play enclosure which is specifically designed and intended to be used in locations and under conditions where a conventional play pen of the nature above described would be highly undesirable and impractical. There is a need for a highly portable, lightweight and yet sturdy play enclosure which has features of construction and utility which render it particularly well suited for use on a beach or in a picnic area, or other place of outdoor recreation generally away from the home. In addition, parents with small children in these locations are generally more concerned with the confinement of pre-toddler age infants able to sit or lie on their backs to play, but not yet able to crawl or walk, the latter frequently being left to move about on the sand or grass even though constant supervision is necessary.

It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide an infants play enclosure particularly well suited for use in a variety of applications to which presently available play pens are inconvenient, impractical and generally undesirable.

It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide an infants play enclosure which is highly portable by reason of being collapsible and light in weight and therefore easily hand carried or transported by car.

3,335,607 Patented Aug. 22, 1967 Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a play enclosure in which an infant may sit in a seat or on the floor of the enclosure, and in which the infants toys or other objects remain at all times readily accessible by being returned to him regardless of where within the enclosure the toys or other objects may be dropped or otherwise displaced by the infant.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an infants play enclosure which is relatively open and yet provides a certain degree of protection for the infant from the elements, such as cold air drafts and direct sunlight.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a play enclosure which is formed to be substantially watertight, at least in part to the extent that the enclosure may substitute as a small pool in which the infant can play in a few inches of water, for example, at the beach.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a play enclosure which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and sell, and which requires no special care for its intended usage under a variety of adverse conditions.

The principles of the present invention are embodied in a relatively simple generally bowl-shaped construction which is formed of a pair of semi-circular wall units which are centrally pivotally connected together and shaped to uniformly mate when they are pivoted to a nested position, and yet which form a relatively sturdy construction when pivoted to an open position for use. The play enclosure has a circular flat bottom and an upwardly curving annular wall which both prevents toys from rolling or falling out of the enclosure, and protects the infant from cold air drafts. Each wall unit has an outer edge portion with a configuration which is complementary with the other to provide rigidity and facilitate sliding of the parts relative to each other. In addition, a seat construction is provided which is centrally located and can be maintained in place when the enclosure is open for use or folded for transport.

In a preferred construction, the extent of the line of joinder between the individual wall units, as well as the pivotal connection and the seat support, are made substantially watertight to permit the bowl to hold a few inches of water if desired.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from an understanding of the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the play enclosure shown open in position for use;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the play enclosure taken on the line 22 of FIG, 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the play enclosure shown folded in position for carrying;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the play enclosure taken on the line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view illustrating a modified outer edge construction; and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 illustrating another modification of the outer edge construction.

Referring to the drawings, the device of the present invention comprises a substantially bowl-shaped construction 10 which is generally concavo-convex, and has a circular flat bottom 11 surrounded by an upwardly curving annular wall 13, and a peripheral rim 15. The bowl 10 is formed of a pair of substantially semi-circular bowl segments 12 and 14-, each segment having respectively a semi-circular outer edge 16 and 18, a downwardly and inwardly curving annular wall portion 20 and 22, and a substantially flat semi-circular bottom 24 and 26. The bowl segments are constructed of any suitable relatively rigid yet light-weight material such as a plastic which has suflicient rigidity to retain its shape when the article is in use and yet which is light enough to make the device convenient to carry.

Each bowl segment 12 and 14 has inner and outer surfaces over the extent of the segments which are similarly contoured, and the outer surface of the segment 12 and the inner surface of the segment 14 are shaped so as to mate with each other in surface to surface contact so that both segments can be stacked or nested for transporting.

Each segment 12 and 14- is further provided with a narrow portion 28 and 30 respectively, which overlap, these portions lying adjacent the diameter of each bowl segment and extending the full length of the diameter. While it is essential that the bowl segments overlap each other only over a central portion adjacent the axis of the bowl 10, as indicated by the numerals 32 and 34, it is preferable that the overlap be extended as shown in FIG. 1 to facilitate smooth operation when collapsing the device and also to make the device substantially watertight in the manner described below.

The bowl segments 12 and 14 are pivotally secured together at the axis of the bowl by means of a hollow oppositely flanged rivet 36 which passes through apertures formed in the bowl segments in the central overlapping portions 32 and 34. As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the rivet 36 permits the bowl segments to be rotated relative to the other so as to dispose them either in stacked or nested relationship for easy transporting or in open position for use.

The outer edges 16 and 18 of the bowl segments 12 and 14 are formed to be mutually complementary and project radially outwardly so as to provide a smooth and unobstructed annular wall 13 to facilitate dumping water or sand from the bowl 10. In one embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 2, the outer edge 18 is defined by a radially projecting flange 38, while the outer edge 16 is a radially projecting flange 40 with a return bend portion 42. The return bend portion 42 is provided on the bowl segment which is innermost when the bowl segments 12 and 14 are nested in order to maintain the annular wall 13 smooth and unobstructed for the purpose mentioned above. As seen in FIG. 3, the flange 38 is received within the groove formed by the flange 40 and return bend portion 42 to have a smooth sliding fit therewith. It is for the purpose of facilitating the start of this sliding movement that it is preferable to have the above described overlapping portions 28 and 30 of the bowl segments extend from edge to edge as shown in FIG. 1.

The rivet 36 serves the dual function of securing the bowl segments 12 and 14 together and also providing a support for an infants seat. A siutable seat 44 is supported by a shaft 46 having an end portion 48 sized to swivably fit within the rivet 36 and be removable therefrom, a collar 50 being provided on the shaft 46 which acts as a stop and rides on the upper flange of the rivet 36. By this construction the seat 44 and support 46 do not interfere with relative sliding movement of the bowl segments 12 and 14, and the device can be collapsed for carrying with the seat mounted in place.

The bowl segment 12 is provided with a carrying handle 52 suitably secured to or formed integrally with the outer edge 16 by which the device is conveniently carried.

In a preferred construction of the embodiment of the invention above described, the bowl segments 12 and 14 are joined together in a substantially watertight manner so that the bowl can hold a few inches of water in which an infant can sit and play. This is accomplished by forming the overlapping portions 28 and 30 to have a very close surface to surface fit with each other when the bowl is in an open position as shown in FIG. 1. Also, the rivet 36 is formed to have a sliding sealing fit with the apertures formed in the bowl segments 12 and 14. Finally, the collar 50 on the supporting shaft 46 is formed to make a sliding sealing fit with the upper flange of the rivet 36. While this construction may not prove to be absolutely watertight in actual practice, it will suflice to hold a sufficient quantity of water for a suflicient length of time to serve the intended purpose of having the bowl 10 temporarily serve as a small shallow pool while being used at a beach or in the back yard.

It should be understood that, if it is not desired to use the seat 44, the rivet 36 may be plugged in any suitable manner, such as by a resilient or cork plug provided with the play enclosure.

The bowl segment 12 is provided with an aperture in the bottom portion 24 thereof which receives a metal bushing 54; in the alternative, the bushing 54 may be plastic and formed integrally with the bottom portion 24. The bushing is adapted to receive a shaft (not shown) which is part of an umbrella or parasol for the purpose of protecting an infant from direct sunlight. The bushing 54 and the manner of receiving the umbrella shaft are substantially watertight in the same manner as the rivet 36 and seat support 46.

Means are provided for securing the bowl segments either in the open or closed positions shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, respectively. This means preferably comprises a short strap 70 of leather, fabric, or highly resilient plastic, the strap being secured at one end to the outer edge of the bowl segment 14, such as by a rivet 72. The other end of the strap 70 is provided with a double facing snap fastener 74 which is selectively engageable with mating buttons 76 or 78 attached to the outer edge of the bowl segment 12. By merely bending the strap 70 in one direction or the other, and securing it to one of the buttons 76 or '73, the bowl segments are held against inadvertent or unintentional relative rotation.

In another embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 5, additional rigidity can be imparted to the bowl segment 14 by providing the radial flange 38 with a peripheral head which is made considerably larger in cross section than the wall thickness of the segment 14. The flange 40 of the bowl segment 12 terminates in a substantially hook-shaped return bend 62 which encircles the head 60 in sliding relationship therewith to secure the respective outer edges 16 and 18 of the bowl segments together.

Where the play enclosure is intended for use primarily on a beach, it may be desirable to form the complementary outer edges of the bowl segments in accordance with another embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 6. In this construction, the flange 38 of the bowl segment 14 is provided with an upwardly curving terminal portion 64, the edge of which makes approximately a right angle with the flange 38. The flange 40 of the bowl segment 12 is formed to terminate in a return bend portion 66 which partially encompasses the terminal portion 64 of the flange 38, and presents a downwardly opening groove in which the terminal portion 64 slides. This construction prevents sand from becoming trapped in the receiving groove of the outer edge 16 of the bowl segment 12 and therefore facilitates continued smooth operation of the device.

It is apparent from the foregoing that there is provided an infants portable play enclosure which achieves the foregoing objects and avoids the disadvantages of prior art structures. It is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention described above and shown in the accompanying drawings are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention, the same being susceptible to equivalency of shape, size, detail and arrangement of parts, and intended to cover all such variations and modifications thereof as may be deemed to be within the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A play enclosure comprising a pair of relatively rigid, semi-circular bowl segments which together constitute a substantially concavo-convex bowl-shaped construction having a central fiat bottom which normally supports said bowl-shaped construction in a vertically upwardly opening position, an upwardly curving annular wall and a peripheral outer edge, one of said bowl segments having an outer surface contour which mates with the inner surface contour of the other so that said bowl segments are nestable in substantially surface to surface contact, each of said bowl segments having a central portion thereof which overlaps the other, said overlapping portions encompassing the vertical axis of the bowl construction, and connecting means pivotally joining the overlapping portions of said bowl segments together on said vertical axis whereby said bowl segments are relatively pivotally slidable about said connecting means to selectively dispose said bowl segments in radially opposed bowl-shaped relationship or in nested carrying re lationship.

2. A play enclosure as set forth in claim 1 further in cluding means selectively interconnecting said bowl segments together for securing said bowl segments in either of the positions in which they are placed.

3. A play enclosure comprising a pair of relatively rigid, semi-circular bowl segments which together constitute a substantially concavo-convex bowl-shaped construction having a central flat bottom, an upwardly curving annular wall and a peripheral outer edge, one of said bowl segments having an outer surface contour which mates with the inner surface contour of the other so that said bowl segments are nestable in substantially surface to surface contact, each of said bowl segments having a central portion thereof which overlaps the other, said overlapping portions encompassing the vertical central axis of the bowl construction, one of said bowl segments having means disposed along its peripheral outer edge for receiving the peripheral outer edge of the other bowl segments in sliding engagement therewith for guiding said bowl segments during nesting and opening thereof, and connecting means pivotally joining the overlapping portions of said bowl segments together on said vertical axis whereby said bowl segments are relatively pivotally slidable about said connecting means to selectively dispose said bowl segments in radially opposed bowl-shaped relationship or in nested carrying relationship.

4. A play enclosure as set forth in claim 3 wherein said receiving means is disposed on the bowl segment which is innermost when the bowl segments are nested, the peripheral outer edge of both said bowl segments being defined by radially outwardly projecting flanges whereby said annular wall is smooth and unobstructed from the bottom to the top thereof.

5. A play enclosure as set forth in claim 3 wherein said overlapping portions of said bowl segments extend from one outer edge thereof to the other outer edge along the diameter of each bowl segment, said overlapping portions lying in sufficiently close face to face contact so as to be substantially watertight, and said central connecting means being substantially watertight whereby said bowl construction is capable of holding a limited quantity of water.

6. A play enclosure comprising a pair of relatively rigid, semi-circular bowl segments which together constitute a substantially concavo-convex bowl-shaped construction having a central flat bottom, an upwardly curving annular wall and a peripheral outer edge, one of said bowl segments having an outer surface contour which mates with the inner surface contour of the other so that said bowl segments are nestable in substantially surface to surface contact, each of said bowl segments having a central portion thereof which overlaps the other, said overlapping portions encompassing the vertical axis of the bowl construction, connecting means comprising a rivet pivotally joining the overlapping portions of said bowl segments together on said vertical central axis, and seat ng means disposed in said bowl construction, said seatingmeans including a seat and support means therefor, sand support means including a portion sized to swivably fit Within said hollow rivet whereby said bowl segments are relatively swivably slidable about said rivet while said seating means remains in place to selectively dlspose said bowl segments in radially opposed bowlshaped relationship or in nested carrying relationship.

A play enclosure comprising a pair of relatively rigid, semi-circular bowl segments which together constitute a substantially concave-convex bowl-shaped construction having a central flat bottom, an upwardly curving annular wall and a peripheral outer edge, one of said bowl segments having an outer surface contour which mates with the inner surface contour of the other so that said bowl segments are nestable in substantially surface to surface contact, each of said bowl segments having a relatrvely narrow portion thereof which overlaps the other throughout the extent of a diameter of the bowl constructron, said overlapping portions encompassing the vertical axis of the bowl construction and lying in sufficiently close surface contact so as to be in substantial watertight relationship, connecting means comprising a hollow rivet pivotally joining the overlapping portions of said bowl segments together on said vertical axis, said rivet being connected to said bowl segments in substantially watertight manner and having an upper flange, seating means disposed in said bowl construction, said seating means including a seat and support means therefor, said support means including a portion sized to swivably fit within said hollow rivet, said support means having a collar thereon which rests on said upper flange of said rivet and makes a substantially watertight sliding seal therewith, whereby said bowl construction is capable of holding a limited quantity of water when said bowl segments are disposed in radially opposed relationship and said bowl segments are relatively pivotally slidable about said rivet while said seating means remains in place to dispose said bowl segments in nested carrying relations 1p.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,887,299 11/1932 Friedman 206-56 2,581,710 1/1952 ,Roos 260-8 2,723,712 11/1955 Yellen 297-441 2,930,430 3/1960 Bloom 297-258 DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner. FRANK B. SHERRY, Examiner.

R. D. KRAUS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A PLAY ENCLOSURE COMPRISING A PAIR OF RELATIVELY RIGID, SEMI-CIRCULAR BOWL SEGMENTS WHICH TOGETHER CONSTITUTE A SUBSTANTIALLY CONCAVO-CONVEX BOWL-SHAPED CONSTRUCTION HAVING A CENTRAL FLAT BOTTOM WHICH NORMALLY SUPPORTS SAID BOWL-SHAPED CONSTRUCTION IN A VERTICALLY UPWARDLY OPENING POSITION, AN UPWARDLY CURVING ANNULAR WALL AND PERIPHERAL OUTER EDGE, ONE OF SAID BOWL SEGMENTS HAVING AN OUTER SURFACE CONTOUR WHICH MATES WITH THE INNER SURFACE CONTOUR OF THE OTHER SO THAT SAID BOWL SEGMENTS ARE NESTABLE IN SUBSTANTIALLY SURFACE TO SURFACE CONTACT, EACH OF SAID BOWL SEGMENTS HAVING A CENTRAL PORTION THEREOF WHICH OVERLAPS THE OTHER, SAID OVERLAPPING PORTIONS ENCOMPASSING THE VERTICAL AXIS OF THE BOWL CONSTRUCTION, AND CONNECTING MEANS PIVOTALLY JOINING THE OVERLAPPING PORTIONS OF SAID BOWL SEGMENTS TOGETHER ON SAID VERTICAL AXIS WHEREBY SAID BOWL SEGMENTS ARE RELATIVELY PIVOTALLY SLIDABLE ABOUT SAID CONNECTING MEANS TO SELECTIVELY DISPOSE SAID BOWL SEGMENTS IN RADIALLY OPPOSED BOWL-SHAPED RELATIONSHIP OR IN NESTED CARRYING RELATIONSHIP. 